


the only proof that i need is you

by destiny919



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s03 Chat Blanc, F/M, Fluff, Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Rated T for swearing, Tom and Sabine's Actual A+ Parenting, post-reveal, that's the real canon divergence here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22766662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destiny919/pseuds/destiny919
Summary: Gabriel Agreste tells Marinette to make the right choice.So she does.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 20
Kudos: 734





	the only proof that i need is you

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate Title: "come to the dupain-cheng bakery in the next ten minutes if you want an asskicking"
> 
> main concept here is how 1. chat blanc taught us all what a BAD FUCKING IDEA keeping their identities a secret is, and 2. i started wondering, what would go down if instead of just starting to date marinette, adrien had actually revealed himself and told mari he knows she's ladybug. and this was the answer. i hope all of mr pigeon's birds shit directly on gabriel's face.

_"Then make the right choice."_

Marinette could have broken down then. She really could have. But this was _her kitty_ he was trying to hurt. _No one_ was allowed to hurt her chaton. She lifted her chin and looked Gabriel's bony-ass face straight in the pixel. 

“I am afraid, Monsieur Agreste,” Marinette said in tones icier than he could even dream of, “that I won’t take orders from men who don’t even have the guts to threaten me in person.” And he didn't even know he was threatening _Ladybug._ Anyone in Paris could tell him just how bad an idea that was.

Chat Noir would absolutely wreck his shit, for starters.

And speaking of which- "And what makes you think, Monsieur Agreste, that even if I were to carry out your orders, I wouldn't tell Adrien _exactly why I was doing it?_ Do you think he'd be very happy with you for this?”

Gabriel's face curdled even more. "Adrien will understand one day that I am only acting in his best interests."

"No, he won't," Marinette said flatly. "If you knew him at all, you'd understand that; especially since you are _not_ acting in his best interests."

"I am his father-"

"You are a terrible person and a worse father," she interrupted him. "Who could never deserve to have Adrien as a son in a million years. Now," addressing Nathalie, whose face was made of stone, the smirk she'd worn just a few minutes ago completely wiped away, _"get the fuck out of my house."_

"You will regret this, Mademoiselle," Gabriel growled. 

"Not as much as you will," she replied. "You can do whatever you like to my career in fashion - I'll still have Adrien. And _you_ won't."

Marinette raised an eyebrow at Nathalie. "I believe I said to _get the fuck out,_ Madame Sancoeur."

Without a word, Gabriel's assistant made an about-face and left the bakery as suddenly as she had arrived. Marinette crossed her arms and watched balefully as she got into the dark car outside and drove away. 

Once they were gone, Marinette turned around and looked at her gobsmacked parents. "We have to be prepared," she said to them. "I don't know what Gabriel might do. He could go after you guys too."

"That man won't be going after _anyone-"_ Tom said thunderously before Sabine interrupted him. 

"Don't worry, ma petite. We can handle that man. After all," she shrugged delicately, "you said it first. He doesn't even have the guts to threaten a teenage girl in person. And soon," Sabine smirked slightly, "everyone will know that." 

Marinette lifted her head and stared up into the eye of one of the CCTV cameras installed in the bakery. _"Oh._ Maman, you're a genius!"

She inclined her head. "Or perhaps Monsieur Agreste is just very stupid."

Giggling, Marinette threw herself into her mother's arms and gave her a tight hug, and Tom immediately wrapped his arms around both of them. "I have to go tell Adrien what happened," Marinette said. "He deserves to know about this first."

"Of course, dear. Go call him - we won't disturb you."

That was good to hear, since she planned to do something much better than just calling him. 

Once up in her room, Tikki flew out of Marinette's sweater, the little kwami almost vibrating with an anger she didn't often display. "That man!" she fumed. "Threatening you like that, just because he doesn't want Adrien to be happy! I'm so proud of you for standing up to him like that, Marinette." She flew forward and pressed herself to Marinette's cheek in a hug. 

Marinette nuzzled her in return. "Even if I had for some reason accepted his terms, it wouldn't matter - Adrien and I could just continue seeing each other behind our masks. But I _had_ to tell him off. Nobody threatens my chaton and gets away with it."

"You're damn right," Tikki said emphatically, making her Chosen blink. Tikki almost never swore; she really must have been angry at Monsieur Agreste. No more than he deserved, of course. 

"Let's go tell him," Marinette said. "Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug slipped out of her skylight and was swinging across the rooftops in the blink of an eye. She flipped open her yoyo to call Chat, whom she could see was already out and about in costume. They had patrol scheduled for later that evening, but her kitty frequently went out early to have more time away from his regular life. She often joined him - if he didn't drop onto her balcony first. 

"Bonsoir, Bugaboo!" Chat said, grinning at her from the screen. "You up for a run?"

"Not quite, kitty," Ladybug told him reluctantly. "Meet me by the Seine?"

He picked up on her mood and his grin faded slightly. "Be there in five, my lady."

"Love you. Bug out." She snapped her yoyo shut, not needing to hear his reply. Ladybug already knew her kitty loved her, even more sure of that fact than she was about the sky being blue or Gabriel Agreste being a complete dickhead. 

Chat was already there when Ladybug arrived, sprawled out on their favorite secluded rooftop overlooking the Seine. "Hey," he greeted her with another beaming smile, but it dropped immediately when he saw _her_ face. "What happened?"

She sat down next to him, twisting her fingers in her lap. Chat automatically reached over and took her hands in his instead, stroking soothingly over her knuckles. "Come on, Bug," he murmured. "It's okay."

"It's _not,"_ she said, feeling all the emotions and adrenaline of her confrontation with Gabriel (or rather, his digital visage) finally swelling up and over her. "It's not okay!"

"My lady-"

"Your father came to see me." Chat stopped, and his hands squeezed hers just a little more tightly. "Or I guess, Nathalie came, and brought the tablet."

"Of _course,"_ he scoffed. 

"He...he told me that I had to end our relationship, or he would pull you out of school." Ladybug swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut. 

Chat was silent for a few long moments. "I'm going to go out on a limb and assume following through on that isn't why you asked me to meet you here."

"Of course not, kitty," she assured him. "Even if I did 'break up' with you as a civilian, he can't stop Ladybug and Chat Noir from being together, can he?"

"Never," Chat said ardently. "You and me against the world, him included."

"Him _especially,"_ Ladybug grumbled. "I didn't agree to do it as a civilian though, either. Because you're still my partner without the mask, and _no one_ will be allowed to use us against each other."

"It never works out for Hawkmoth, either." Chat leaned down and lightly bumped his forehead against hers, leaving it there comfortingly. Kitty kisses. "What _did_ you say to him?"

"Uh." She turned pink. "I said...a number of things."

"Oh man. Should I go get popcorn? I can totally go get popcorn."

"If you were there at the time, maybe." Ladybug giggled nervously. "I may have, uh. Indirectly called him a coward, _very directly_ called him a horrible person and worse father, and told him to get the fuck out of my house."

Chat blinked at her. _"...Please_ tell me that is a direct quote, profanity included."

"Oh, yeah."

"I love you _so much,"_ he said fervently, and tilted her chin up with his other hand to lean in and kiss her so passionately that Ladybug's legs would have buckled if she were standing. That made her giggle, though not pull away from the kiss. She'd stood tall against his father, but Chat made her knees weak.

And with him by her side, Marinette could stand up to anything.

**Author's Note:**

> other lines considered for "chat noir would wreck his shit": rip him to shreds, destroy him, impale him on his staff, turn him into the pavement stain he already resembled on the inside, fuck him up GOOD,
> 
> come visit my [tumblr](https://tarvek-sturmvoraus.tumblr.com/)


End file.
